Kicking off the Launch of Encore SEO event, Reprise Media Senior Account Manager, Mike Simpson takes us through the history of Google and the evolution of the elusive Google algorithm. “The Internet is fast becoming a cesspool where false information thrives… Brands are how you sort out the cesspool”.

– Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman at Google

To counteract this cesspool, Google has evolved drastically over the years in order to efficiently make sense of the worlds information. Our journey through history begins in “The Dark Ages” (1994-2002) where nobody really knew if the internet was here to stay or just a fad.

Search engines soon became popular as internet growth rocketed. Google then revolutionised this search space with the launch of the Page Rank algorithm which analysed how sites linked to each other, taking this as a sign of quality, and consequently serving audiences more relevant results. This change took the demand for SEO to a whole new level. Next we reach the “The Industrial Revolution” (2003-2008) by which time Google had already claimed 52% of the UK search market, outperforming its competitors for three reasons. Google was quick, easy and relevant. To protect its position of power, Google launched an attack on SEO spam tactics (Black Hat SEO) to ensure organic results could not be manipulated so easily. SEO practitioners however were able to get around these updates and continue business as usual. Often these back-stage SEO tactics were in fact funded by unknowing brands.

From 2009 until the present day we have seen “The Brand Revolution” with Google launching a further unprecedented assault on Black Hat SEO, even being as ruthless as to penalise their own Google Chrome website in 2012. Over a six year period, a record 64 algorithm updates - including Panda, Penguin and Hummingbird - were launched. Despite these updates, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for SEO. Many in the industry were able to adapt and survive by paying attention to Google’s product feature updates that sat outside of Google penalties. Some of the most pivotal of these product updates were Caffeine & Real-Time Search, Google Places, Google+, Knowledge Graph and Multi-Device Compatibility.

And that swiftly brings us to the Google of today with a market share of 89% in the UK. Over these three epochs, Google have never deviated from their core focus of providing us with the best possible search results. This is because Google are well aware that if they stray from these principles, we will all stop using Google and therefore Google generates less revenue. Simple really. So what does this mean? 1. Google wants to call the shots when it comes to choosing organic results. 2. Google will focus on content quality and let the people be the judge. 3. Google will maintain intelligence experts at interpreting your search queries to provide more relevant results.

Encore SEO is launched by the Head of SEO at Reprise Media, Rob Lloyd. The SEO industry has not done itself any favours over the past 20 years regarding its transparency to brands. Why is this the case? The reason is because SEO is a best practice approach for a range of platforms and disciplines and not necessarily a traffic channel. Therefore, to help brands approach this complexity, Reprise Media have developed Encore SEO, a best-practice framework to customise the most relevant action plan to maximise organic visibility. Rob outlines two core components to the Encore SEO methodology…

The first is ranking signals, or proof points that search engines require to warrant prominent visibility on their SERP. These are divided up into three segments; 1. Technical - Best practise coding and

development to ensure the Search Engine can easily access and understand a websites digital content.

2. Content - Production of engaging experiences for a brands audience, if content is valued this will fuel authority signals to search engines

3. Authority - Google in particular, pays attention to what is happening in the real world and therefore looks at search demand on brand keywords, appearance in the news, and syndication via social media.

The second key component of the Encore SEO methodology is Account Management and getting the job done. This is split into four phases; 1. Scope – Establish KPIs, budgets,

timelines and organisational partners.

2. Plan - Declare target audience, their information needs, how this translates into content, how the site should structure this content and the influencers required to produce authority signals.

3. Produce - Consult on the development of digital assets and their publication to minimise risk.

4. Promote - Connect influencers with digital content in genuine circumstances to avoid potential Google penalties as seen with Panda and Penguin updates.

Behind this methodology, Reprise has a set of proprietary tools that speed our audience demand analysis including a comprehensive YouTube monitoring tool and our automated site benchmarking tool that detects changes to a site’s appearance. We’re also very excited to soon reveal a new multi-channel reporting platform in the next several months! In summary, Encore SEO is about giving search engines best-practice signals but creating a responsive action plan to suit your organisational needs. This brings to light the easy process of SEO; how each activity and deliverable contributes to your strategic vision rather than making SEO a burden. SEO then quickly becomes exactly what it should be; part of the furniture.

For the third session of the morning, we welcomed Vonage’s Marketing Director, Roger Vigilance, on stage to join one of Reprise’s brightest Senior Account Managers Charlie Davison. Roger quickly gave us the low down on Vonage, a leading VoIP (Voice-over-Internet Protocol) provider which enables internet phone calls through WiFi. He highlighted that one of their core audiences is SOHO - small and home business owners, for which Vonage's call plans and call features provide low cost and professional communication solutions. Roger then went on to express Vonage’s intent to supplement their mass recognition, building ATL TV activity with a content-led SEO strategy that generated demand and awareness of their SOHO category.

Charlie Davison, who heads up the Vonage account, then stepped up to outline what exactly our challenge was… The SOHO category is relatively niche and there are multiple players in the market who offer alternative business communication methods - from conference calling to call forwarding. However, for those in market, Vonage provides a really compelling solution. Charlie and his team therefore had to work closely with Vonage to identify what exactly their audience were searching for and communicate its unique selling points through relevant content.

Reprise initiated an integrated, content-led strategy, positioning content in the right place at every stage of the customers path to purchase. Working closely with stakeholders from TV, PR, social and paid digital channels, Reprise leveraged all available content assets to ensure they were purposed for a search audience, and brought the brand in front of a new audience by partnering with online influencers. Intent mapping was a key component for Reprise and Vonage to really dissect the SOHO audience, ensuring the creation and positioning of truly relevant content. Vonage saw strong results with a 43% increase in non-brand organic search traffic, equating to an increase of 26,000 visits over first 12 months of the campaign.

Whilst the results speak for themselves, what was extremely prominent about this talk was the chemistry between the two speakers who had clearly partnered throughout to make a real impact on the business. The session came to a close with a testimonial from Roger, who stated: “Our results come from getting a good agency; one that can integrate with other marketing channels. Not only that, but we also have a good partner; one that can immerse themselves in the business and product and essentially become part of the team”

The morning session came to an exciting close as Reprise’s very own Craig Lister (Head of Reprise UK & EMEA) explored his perception of how digital discovery will transform in the coming years. Using Google to demonstrate the evolving digital landscape, Craig oulined the sheer number of acquisitions Google has made, with an average of more than one company per week since 2010. This was coupled with a visualisation comparing acquisitions from Google, Apple, Amazon, Yahoo and Facebook, demonstrating the frequency of Google’s acquisitions of companies comparatively to other major players in the digital space.

This push from Google to acquire other businesses is said to be a fierce acquisition of three things; talent, patents and products. With the reality of Google’s dominance and power quite clear to everyone in the audience, we are reminded of the Search Giant’s motivations… “Our dream is to use the latest technology in the miniaturisation of electronics to help improve the quality of life for millions of people.” - Sergey Brin, Co-Founder of Google

Moving swiftly onto what exactly Google is doing with these acquisitions, Craig elaborates on the number of different Google projects and technologies happening right now. These are diverse and extensive. From Google driverless cars which are expected to be road ready by early 2015, to the loom-project which saw the launch of a network of high altitude balloons to connect people in remote areas all around the world to the internet. Google also have turned their eye to pharmaceuticals with the launch of a contact lens which monitors glucose levels in the hopes of offering a less invasive and more effective way for diabetes sufferers to monitor their blood sugar levels throughout the day.

The breadth of Google innovations didn’t stop there, with Craig alluding to the huge number of robotics and A.I. companies Google has recently purchased and what they might do for us in the future. A far cry from the Robotic armies seen in Hollywood movies, Google is reportedly building robots to complete simple day to day tasks. Craig ties up the session, by suggesting that this advancement in technology is fundamental in helping our aging population.

Discovery is at the heart of the work done by any agency worth its salt, and thus formed the starting point for the afternoon session; Discovery II. Head of Reprise UK & EMEA, Craig Lister and Managing Director of MAP, Jason Carter, expounded on the infinite wealth of opportunity available for Discovery in a society that has entwined itself so intimately with technology, with the breadth of engagement even stretching to Craig’s Mum! Needless to say multi-screen mothers are the reason that insightful Discovery is so achievable, if you have the correct tools.

In the first Discovery event, last October, there were many examples of how Reprise has worked effectively with clients to obtain useful and insightful data. A key distinction raised in the Discovery sequel was the difference between ‘Say’ and ‘Do’ data. No longer do we rely on ‘Say’ data from research based upon what an audience professes to do; now we have measurable evidence of what people are actually ‘Do’-ing.

A fantastic example of this is the use of Tesco Clubcard data to identify and understand audiences through their own behaviour, in turn this deeper understanding can be engaged to have a better, more meaningful conversation with that particular audience. The Clubcard initiative is just one example of how good quality data from what people actually ‘Do’, combined with intelligent analysis can lead to valuable Discovery and a more relevant and thus more personal experience with a brand.

Discovery in itself is the first step, all the while being powered by data. Discovery is therefore the biggest step and with it comes the opportunity to strengthen the relationship between a brand and its audience that otherwise would perhaps have been neglected. We are then introduced to the real rockstars of the Digital world, our speakers for the day. And so the journey of discovery continues…

How Reprise see’s Discovery in action comes down to Customer Journey Mapping, Audience Insights and Validation, Real-Time Planning and Measurement. These four tools allow Reprise to really get under the skin of every brand they work with, and more importantly, their audiences.

Is it possible to crack the social code and exploit the benefits social technology can offer to brands? Can social media really contribute to an overall marketing strategy and drive consumer engagement? In the second talk of the afternoon session at Discovery II, Universal McCann’s Glen Parker demonstrated the power of Wave and how social research can empower brands and assist in delivering an effective social strategy. Wave is a research project across 72 markets and 50,000 people that started in 2006, attempting to crack the social code. At Wave 1, social was a virtual unknown. Facebook was in its infancy; Twitter had only just been born; the founder of Snapchat was in high school. Many people claimed to be social experts, but the lack of data and the youth of the channel brought these claims into question.

8 years later, and we’re at Wave 7. Social media is maturing. Wave gives a unique view on social by defining more than just the data: it looks not at what trends are happening, but why they are happening. It allows brands to situate themselves within the social space based on information and analysis, giving them a better understanding of the potential relationships social media can deliver.

To find out more about Wave 7 and to download the presentation from the talk at Discovery II, please click here.

Wave 7 has shown that social media is now the norm. It is as much a part of everyday life as a morning coffee. Platforms can reach out across demographics, and with the massively increased use of smart phones, consumers can be reached at all times. However, Wave 7 has also shown that brands must be careful with their social presence. Social media is a distraction, and can have little or no relevance if used incorrectly. What social must deliver for a brand is more data, and consumers are willing to share their data if they value the experience. The value exchange is a fragile balance, and brands can only grow if they fulfil the needs of the consumer.

Wave 7 delivers the reasoning behind social presence for brands and tells us why things happen, not just what is happening. Understanding why content is liked, shared, tweeted and pinned is key to succeeding in this channel.

Following on from an introduction from Google Analytics, David McQueen Johnston (VP of Ecommerce at Tempur) and Ben Austen (Senior Account Manager at Reprise Media) teamed up to explore exactly how they utilised the GA capabilities to create real business benefits for Tempur. We first hear from David, who introduces the scenario, highlighting that whilst Tempur recognise the importance that online now plays in the consumer journey, for a high-end brand like Tempur, offline stores remain the major sales ground. On top of this, whilst the Tempur brand has been built on cutting edge technology, their digital set up was ageing and inconsistent.

It became clear, Tempur also had a resource bottleneck with their digital team and struggled globally with updates and improvements to the site. To combat these issues Ben and his team transitioned the Tempur account globally onto Google Analytics. Standardised dashboards for local, regional and global managers were created, with TV spend overlaid onto GA to ensure they were able to analyse the relationship between ATL spend and searches for brand terms. This data was then used to optimise PPC accounts by identifying opportunity areas and improving quality scores globally.

The audience were then presented with “Jimbo’s Magic Box”, which was in fact a Raspberry Pi which Reprise modified to count store visits, with real time data then being fed into GA. Ben and David went on to add that with this device and a bit of clever thinking, they were able to piece together the “holy grail” of the digital marketing world, by bridging the gap between online marketing and offline sales. Working with Tempur, the team at Reprise were able to identify a value for the soft conversion (store locator), allowing our automated PPC bidding partner Kenshoo to work more effectively across hard and soft conversions.

The results Tempur saw as a result of the strategy and account set up from Reprise were exceptional. The integration of PPC and SEO led to a reduction of Tempur’s CPC’s by up to 24% across Europe. The implementation of Google Tag Manager also saved Tempur a large yearly subscription to another analytics provider, with Reprise now handling all global tagging requests. On top of these cost savings, David went on to applaud the dashboards set up by Reprise, as saving 5% of his valuable time. 30% of budgets were reallocated to more efficient areas, driving increases on ROI across markets. And finally the rigorous tracking set up allowed Reprise to spot a business critical issue in the German market, fixing it quickly and saving Tempur thousands in lost revenue.

David ended the session with a short testimonial; “Without the set up by Reprise Media, we would not have been able to identify a business critical issue in Germany, and more importantly, fix it quickly.”

We can’t hide from the set up we put in place

With only seven devices in the UK, we closed Discovery II with the star of the show; Google Glass, demonstrated by Ali Turhan, Industry Manager at Google. In its infancy, Google Glass has proven a divisive device. Time magazine celebrated it as one of best inventions of 2012 whilst simultaneously Google Glass has attracted serious criticism and bans. Given this context, there was a humid air of anticipation awaiting our last talk of the day. Never before has so much been expected from so little!

The novelty of such incredible power contained in a lean strip of metal was an easy crowd pleaser. Beyond this initial aura, there was an underlying curiosity about the purpose of this innovative ‘wearable’ technology and how it could be integrated into mass market consumer lifestyles. Thus the key centrepiece of this presentation was not in fact Google Glass; it was the intriguing and evolving shape of the technological future that Google Glass will feature in.

This theme was grasped upon to guide the presentation towards the development of predictive intelligence in Google by supplying users with direct spoken answers as opposed to just search results. This was an interesting example of Google marrying change with opportunity, with the growth of mobile search peaking last year, accounting for 30% of all Google search traffic. It was a powerful reminder of the irresistible appeal of technology in supplying the convenience we crave in our day to day lives, whether that is something as simple as knowing whether you would need an umbrella today. Ali also demonstrated conversational, artificial intelligence search which takes on board the context of search queries. For example a search for “How old is Tom Cruise” followed shortly after by “How tall is he” will recognise the contextual intent of the search query.

The lasting impression of the talk was one of excitement, illustrated by the reference to the film ‘Back to the Future’. The fiction of technology changing our lives is unflinchingly now in the past. No longer will we be raptured by the future, the future is now firmly tangible in our hands, wrists, and eyes.

This growing alignment of convenience and technology presents unique opportunities to brands and advertisers alike to connect with their audiences.